Decoding Diabetes: A notorious Lifestyle Disease
- timtim1005
- May 9, 2021
- 3 min read
Syndicated from Bodyandstrength.com
What is Diabetes?
Diabetes is a silent killer and the number of cases are only rapidly increasing around us. Let me try and explain this condition in a nutshell.
Energy and The Human Body
The Body needs energy. All the food that we eat is broken down into amino acids, fats and glucose. Energy is required to carry out various activities of daily living both – voluntary (things we do consciously like cooking, going for a walk, washing clothes) and involuntary (like blinking, functioning of the cardiovascular system or respiratory system, digestion, excretion). Normally, we would eat food and the digestive process would ensure that everything moves smoothly. Out of the three Macros, Carbohydrates are broken down into glucose which is converted to energy which the body uses and life is BAU.
What is Insulin?
However, one little organ called the pancreas is important in the process of this conversion of glucose to energy and its storage after consumption of the required energy. In addition to releasing the pancreatic juices for the process of digestion, it also has the job of secreting the hormone, Insulin – which is the all important hormone carrying out the aforementioned job. Insulin is the hormone which regulates the sugar levels in the blood. It signals the liver, muscles and fat cells to convert the excess energy to glycogen for storage. At a later stage when the body needs more energy, the insulin signals the stores to release the said glycogen and convert it back into energy for utilisation.
Now that we understand what the function of pancreas and insulin is in regulation of sugar levels in the blood – let us move onto understanding what Diabetes is.
Diabetes:
Diabetes is a condition defined by persistently high levels of sugar in the blood.
There are multiple types of Diabetes but it is 2 types of Diabetes that make up the biggest chunk of the people suffering from this condition:
Type I Diabetes: Usually a genetic gift, you are born with this condition and this is an autoimmune disorder. An autoimmune disorder is one where the body mistakenly starts attacking other cells within the body. In case of Type 1 diabetes, the immune system starts destroying the insulin producing cells (also called the beta cells) in the pancreas. This leaves the person with little or no insulin in the body. Without insulin, the glucose in the bloodstream is not converted to be used by the body as energy. Hence, the glucose just accumulates in the blood raising the levels of blood sugar. Further, this causes excessive urination and hence, dehydration, ultimately damaging the body’s tissues.
Type II Diabetes: The second and more prevalent of the two types is the Type 2 Diabetes. A result of lifestyle choices, it usually sets in during adulthood. This is a case where the body’s cells become less responsive to insulin’s efforts to drive glucose into the cells. That is the body’s cells become resistant to the insulin – hence the term insulin resistance. Initially, the pancreas responds to increased sugar levels by making extra insulin, and continues doing so until it finally gets exhausted. It cannot match the rising demand for insulin and as a result, the blood sugar levels in the blood rise up and stay there. Obesity increases your risk of having Type II Diabetes
Gestational Diabetes: This usually shows up in women during pregnancy. It usually lasts through the entire pregnancy and goes away once the pregnancy ends. Women who suffer from gestational diabetes have a tendency to contract Type II Diabetes later in life.
Again, there are multiple types of Diabetes, but these are the ones the bulk of the population suffers from. The easiest and best way to control this condition is prevention. The best method to keep it at bay is through a holistic approach which includes a combination of Exercise, Diet & Mindfulness. And if you have the symptoms, consult a doctor for diagnosis. Thereafter use the medicines prescribed and consult certified professionals to assist with creating a plan to help you bring the condition under control.
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